Downtown Yonge BIA wins OBIAA 2013 Award for 'Celebrate Yonge'

TORONTO, April 17, 2013 /CNW/ - The Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area is honoured to be a recipient of the Ontario BIA Association (OBIAA) 2013 Award for Special Events and Promotions for the Celebrate Yonge festival. The award-winning event took place on Yonge Street from August 17 to September 16, 2012 and was planned and executed by the BIA with the support of city and neighbourhood partners.

Celebrate Yonge was an innovative combination of streetscape and event planning that created new pedestrians spaces for people right in the heart of downtown Yonge Street. The four week event saw the creation of pedestrian bumpouts onto the street using beautifully constructed wooden planter boxes as barriers that separated people from vehicle traffic.

The four-lane roadway was decreased to offer two lanes of traffic for cars, one northbound and one southbound, with the rest of the space becoming public seating areas, patios or areas programmed with games and activities. Celebrate Yonge offered visitors the chance to experience the neighbourhood in a different way, interacting with the vibrant local business community and enjoying expanded public spaces. A unique aspect of the event is that it did not require a full road closure and vehicles were still able to use the thoroughfare.

The OBIAA Award for Special Events and Promotions is presented to events that showcase innovation, engage the business community, which can also be replicated in other neighborhoods.

For more information about Celebrate Yonge and the Downtown Yonge BIA please visit www.downtownyonge.com.

SOURCE: Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area

Abigail Gamble
Communications Manager
416-597-0255 x224
[email protected]